Merchant Navy
Crew Lists
Crew lists & agreements for all ports in the British Isles, dated 1857 and earlier are held by the National Archives as is a 10% sample of records created in the period 1857 onward and all surviving lists covering 1939-45. You will normally need the ship's Official Number to carry out searches - if you don't have try searching the British Shipbuilding database, the CLIP databases or Lloyd's Register). A further 10 % sample of lists have been deposited in the National Maritime Museum (1861, 1862 and years ending in '5'). Most remaining British agreements and crew lists from 1863 to 1976, are held at the Maritime History Archive in Newfoundland. County Record Offices and other local archives hold most of the remaining lists for the period 1863-1913.These are searchable using the CLIP databases. Crew lists for 1915 are searchable here. Lloyd's Captains' Registers (index) Indexes by surname have been produced covering the years 1869-1911 (retrospective to 1851 for those masters and mates still sailing in 1869). You can search for Captains listed on the CLIP database (see above) here. Further details can be found in this information leaflet from the London Metropolitan Archives. Captains in the Port of San Francisco List of Captains sailing into and out of the Port during the mid-1800s. Merchant Seamen on Cardiff Registered Ships Database of over 2000 seafarers compiled from the records at Glamorgan Archives. Union African American Sailors Index Database of approximately 18,000 African American sailors who served in the Union Navy during the Civil War. New London Crew Lists Index: 1803-1878 Database of crew on over 2500 voyages to foreign ports sailed from New London, Connecticut. Newfoundland & Labrador Crew Database 30,000 seamen taken from the crew lists of 270 Newfoundland and Labrador registered vessels covering the years 1915 to 1942. Searchable by sailors name, vessel name, official number and voyage year. Newfoundland Captains 1820-1889 Index was compiled from data contained in the transcripts of the Certificates of Vessel Registry for Newfoundland. Salem, Mass. Crew Lists Index: 1799-1879 Database of crew on over 7900 voyages to foreign ports sailed from Salem, Massachusetts. HMS Conway Maritime Memorials Records of over 4000 church, cemetery and public memorials to seafarers and victims of maritime disasters. Merchant Seamen Abbreviations Abbreviations commonly used by the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen (RGSS) Merchant Seaman Prisoner of War Index (1918) Prisoners of War in Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. A privately researched index of an original document reference MT9/1238 held at The National Archives. Searchable by surname or name of ship. Norwegian War Medals (World War Two) |
Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships
DEMS were merchant navy vessels that were equipped with limited armament to assist in convoy defence during the Second World War. Merseyside Maritime Museum have a information sheet which gives details of armaments, personnel and training. Convoyweb has a Database of Merchant Navy & DEMS Gunners 1939-1945 although it only lists those who died in the conflict. Seaman's Pouches 1913-1972 These records relate to individual sailors in the Merchant Navy. Papers were filed together in paper envelopes known as "pouches". The contents vary for single registry cards to ID Cards, photographs, letters, applications forms and other ephemera. You can search this part of The National Archives catalogue by seafarer's name. Although they may contain records for seafarers whose service began before 1913 for this earlier period you should also check the Central Index Register of Merchant Seamen a collection of over a million and a quarter merchant navy service record cards. It has details of people serving on board British registered ships between 1918 and 1941. Medal Cards For merchant sailors in both World Wars you can also download their Medal Cards: First World War Second World War
Royal Naval Museum Information Sheets
Royal Naval Officer's Service Records Starting from the 1840s, these records record service for warrant officers joining the Royal Navy up to 1931 and commissioned officers joining the service up to 1917. Royal Naval Officer's Service Records Starting from the 1840s, these records record service for warrant officers joining the Royal Navy up to 1931 and commissioned officers joining the service up to 1917. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers (1939-1945) Royal Navy Ratings (1853-1923) Database of 600,000 service records for most ratings who joined the Royal Navy between 1853 and 1923 Royal Naval Ratings Pension Records (1789-1878) |
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